The Blueprint: What makes a great mentoring program? (Part 2 of 2)
After reading articles, speaking with friends and getting feedback from total strangers, we see some definite trends.
Effective Mentors share a handful of common qualities. If you have them, you’d make a great mentor:
- Supportiveness and Encouragement: Providing support and encouragement, especially when offering constructive criticism, is vital. Avoid, at all costs, mentioning a mentees’ age when explaining why a course of action might or not work, how to interact with top management or how to lead their team.
- Ability to Provide Guidance and Different Perspectives: Mentors are valuable for their ability to share knowledge, offer different viewpoints, and help mentees cut through noise and confusion. This guidance helps mentees to focus on their goals and overcome challenges. Keeping your views flexible will keep your mind agile and sharp and, ultimately, improve your thinking.
- Trustworthiness and Confidentiality: Building a foundation of trust through confidentiality ensures that mentees feel safe sharing their thoughts, fears, and ambitions. A mentor's ability to be trusted and maintain privacy is essential for a transparent and honest relationship.
- Patience: Do we need to explain why? Just remember, whenever you think “these young people!” with a roll of your eyes, they are also thinking “these old people!” with a roll of their eyes.
In a formal mentoring program, you must treat your mentee as your client. And remember, age discrimination works both ways: respect their youth, creativity and enthusiasm and your young mentees will respect your age, expertise and knowledge.
Your Gray Matters welcomes the opportunity to create a custom mentorship program for your organization or for you to implement in your organization. Write us at msalup@yourgraymatters.org or grab some time at www.calendly.com/performist-us/60 - Thanks